VIII. The general levy and specific financial obligations

Ezekiel 45:13–17 prescribes a levy of grain, oil and animals for the community of the land described. It serves the sacrificial worship and sacred assemblies for which the prince bears responsibility. Ezekiel 45:16 45:16 “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel.” The levy concerns the community of the land described. Since Ezekiel also grants inheritance rights to certain resident foreigners within that community (47:22–23), there is no basis for limiting the obligation to only part of that community solely on grounds of ancestry, religious belief or lack of belief.

This does not mean that every individual must contribute the same amount or quantity. Age, ability to pay, exemptions and collection are matters for further determination by the competent authorities, provided that God's commandment is respected.

The Qur’an prescribes zakat for the Muslim community (including 2:43 and 2:110) and identifies the recipients of prescribed charitable contributions (9:60). It also contains a command to collect a charitable contribution in a particular context (9:103). This obligation is not the same as the levy

described by Ezekiel and must not be combined with it. These passages do not, in themselves, establish a mandatory role for a present-day mosque as a collecting institution. Qur’an 9:60 9:60 “The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.” Other commandments against financial injustice also remain important, such as the prohibitions against unlawful appropriation (Qur’an 2:188; 4:29). The Manifesto sets out the principles here; it does not devise a complete financial system.

The word ‘levy’ here denotes a compulsory contribution. Ezekiel specifies the nature of the contributions and their purpose: sacrificial worship and sacred assemblies. The prince bears a particular responsibility in this regard (45:13–17).

The words “all the people of the land” are decisive. In the land described, that community does not consist exclusively of people of one ancestry. Therefore, an exemption based solely on religious belief or ancestry cannot be derived from the text. Ezekiel 45:16 reads in the JPS 1917 translation: “All the people of the land shall give this offering for the prince in Israel.”

The conclusion that no one is excluded from the communal obligation on grounds of ancestry or religious belief is an interpretation of the relationship between Ezekiel 45:16 and 47:22–23. The text itself does not provide a detailed arrangement for individual ability to pay, age or collection; these details are therefore not presented as direct divine commandments.

A communal obligation does not mean that a child must personally make the same contribution as an adult. Who contributes, when and how much, is a matter for the competent authorities, within the limits of the commandment.

Zakat has a different basis and purpose. It is a specific obligation of the Muslim community and is not equated with Ezekiel's levy. The Qur’an identifies certain recipients of alms (9:60), but does not prescribe a general mandatory role for a present-day mosque in collecting them.